Apple convinced a federal jury on Friday that early versions of health monitoring technology company Masimo’s smartwatches infringe two of its design patents, as part of a broader intellectual property dispute between the companies.
The jury in Delaware agreed with Apple that Masimo’s W1 and previous iterations of the Freedom watches and chargers knowingly infringed Apple’s patent rights in smartwatch designs.
But the jury awarded the tech giant, which is worth about $3.5 trillion, only $250 in damages — the statutory minimum for infringement in the United States.
Apple’s lawyers told the court that the “ultimate purpose” of its lawsuit was not money, but to win an injunction against the sale of Masimo’s smartwatches following an infringement ruling.
On that front, the jury also determined that Massimo’s current watches did not infringe Apple’s patents covering the inventions that the tech giant accused Massimo of copying.
Massimo said in a statement that it appreciated the jury’s verdict “in favor of Massimo and against Apple on almost all issues” and that the decision only applied to “discontinued modules and chargers.”
“Apple primarily sought an injunction against Massimo’s existing products and the jury’s decision is a victory for Massimo on that issue,” Massimo said.
Apple said in a statement that it is pleased that the jury’s decision today will protect the innovations we have pioneered on behalf of our customers.
Irvine, California-based Massimo accused Apple of hiring its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology after discussing a possible collaboration.
Masimo last year persuaded the U.S. International Trade Commission to block imports of Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches after the commission found that their technology for reading blood oxygen levels infringed Masimo’s patents. .
Apple has appealed the decision and has resumed selling the watches after removing the technology. The tech giant sued Masimo for patent infringement in 2022, alleging that Masimo copied Apple Watch features for use in its smartwatches.
Apple also accused Massimo of using the ITC and lawsuits in California to “make way for Massimo’s own watch.”
Massimo said Apple’s patent lawsuit is “retaliatory” and “an attempt to avoid the court in which the parties are litigating their dispute.”
© Thomson Reuters 2024
